In Genesis, what was the first land feature Noah saw after the Ark’s floodwaters receded?

In Genesis, Noah’s Ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat as the floodwaters receded. Genesis 8:4 uses the plural phrase “mountains of Ararat,” rather than naming one specific peak.

Ararat in the biblical text is generally understood as a region or ancient kingdom associated with Urartu, located around parts of eastern Anatolia and the South Caucasus. The passage does not say that the Ark rested on the summit of the modern volcanic mountain commonly called Mount Ararat. That popular identification developed through later interpretation and tradition.

This distinction matters because “Mount Ararat” and “the mountains of Ararat” are not identical phrases. Modern Mount Ararat is Turkey’s highest mountain, close to the borders of Armenia and Iran, but Genesis itself does not provide a precise archaeological location. Many expeditions and alleged discoveries have attracted attention, yet no accepted scientific evidence has verified the Ark’s remains.